For the second consecutive season, Virginia Motorsports Park is hosting an NHRA national event. Once a staple of the drag racing schedule, the North Dinwiddie facility lost its spot on the national tour due to a poor racing surface. However, a repavement and the loss of racing dates in New Jersey allowed the sanctioning body to return in 2017.

It’s been a hit with the drivers.

“It’s one of the parts of the country where you walk in the gates and the fans are so appreciative you showed up,” said Funny Car driver Shawn Langdon, who races in the Global Electronic Technology Toyota Camry. “The fans are constantly telling you ‘Thank you,’ and that goes a long way. Everybody is having so much fun and it just reminds you: ‘This is what I love to do.’

“The racing surface is arguably the smoothest on tour and they’ve done a great job with that facility. I’m glad it’s back on the schedule and it’s definitely a race I’m looking forward to.”

Langdon, from Mira Loma, has climbed to the ninth spot in the class points, one of two drivers without a Funny Car championship. Tim Wilkerson, sixth in the standings, is the other such driver, although Langdon won the 2017 Top Fuel dragster title while competing for Don Schumacher Racing. John Force Racing’s Robert Hight is atop the points race, a comfortable 191 ahead of Matt Hagen.

After posting his first Funny Car victory in Charlotte, Langdon suffered mechanical issues in a first-round loss to eventual winner Ron Capps in Atlanta. However, the win has changed attitudes within the Kalitta Motorsports organization.

“It gives everybody involved with the team a little bit of a boost,” Langdon said. “Winning is a cure-all. We had a lot of learning curves last year and, this year, it seemed like we were right there. We would look at all the information and we knew we were close.

“We knew we had a car and a team capable of getting a win, but when it doesn’t happen, it reaches a certain point where you’ve got to do something. Everything just kind of fell into place at Charlotte and it was pretty exciting.”

Now that he has eliminated the winless stigma, he can concentrate on those in front of him. Kalitta teammate J.R. Todd is fourth, followed by Tommy Johnson Jr., Wilkerson, Capps and Jack Beckman.

“I’ve always liked the progression of the team,” Langdon said. “It’s always been a team with a lot of talent and I like that. You could see in the future that it was going to be good, you just have to come together as a team.

“After that win, you see a little pep in everyone’s step. It was kind of like, ‘We got that out of our way, now let’s go get our second.’ It would be awesome to win (in Virginia).”

Also in action this weekend will be the Pro Stock class. It’s been more than 40 days since the last competition. Bo Butner is the class leader, with a comfortable 140-point lead over Alex Laughin.

Jason Line, in fourth and 164 points behind Butner, said the long break was weird.

“It was weird,” Line said. “I think the first couple of weeks we kind of walked around in a haze. I think a big part of what we’re doing is trying to get everything organized. At the same time, we had some new things come up that we had to get to and that’s part of it, is being flexible.”

Runs of second

For the past three NASCAR Cup races, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, driving the No. 88 Camaro, has been runner-up. In the modern Cup era, 13 others had three consecutive second-place finishes, most recently Kyle Larson in 2017.

Bowman is the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to record three runner-up finishes before claiming his inaugural win. He’s entered in the Monster Energy Open and is among the drivers eligible for the All-Star Race via fan vote.

He was second to Chase Elliott last week in Kansas.

“We had a really good car, I just made bad decisions going through lap traffic on lane choice,” Bowman said. “They stayed where I needed to run, and I should have gone high and I shouldn’t have picked the middle like I did. It was a great day for everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. We all had super competitive cars and we are seeing everyone’s hard work back at the shop come to life.

“The finish in Kansas definitely hurts because, man, we could have won that race. Still a good points day, but if we could have just gotten one more spot at the end.”

NHRA schedule

As usual, the Lucas Oil Winternationals will open the 2020 NHRA season Feb. 6-9 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. The Auto Club Finals will end the season there Nov. 12-15.

It will be the 60th anniversary of the Winternationals, one of several events celebrating a milestone during the year. In addition to the 60th Winternationals, the Southern Nationals in Atlanta will be held for the 40th year; Texas FallNationals in Ennis will conduct its 35th running, and the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., and the Dodge Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will conduct the 20th event.

“There are so many exciting milestone events on the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Schedule and all year long we will be celebrating Pro Stock’s 50th anniversary,” NHRA president Glen Cromwell said. “Fans will want to put these events on their calendars now so they don’t miss any of the action we have in store!”

Pit stops

— Following an off week, Ventura Raceway returns Saturday night with Dwarf Cars, Senior Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and motorcycles. Gates open at 3 p.m., qualifying starts at 3:30 and the card opens at 5:30.

— Auto Club Dragway will host a NHRA Division 7 Lucas Oil Series event Friday through Sunday. Friday will be a test and tune from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Qualifying starts at 8 a.m. Saturday. Eliminations will start at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Admission each day is $20, with children 12 and younger admitted free with a paid adult.

— The Irwindale Speedway twin 35-lap late model mains produced the second victories of the season for a pair of teenage drivers. Ryan Vargas, 18, won the first 35 and Blaine Perkins, 19, won the second main. The second-ever combined race for Lucas Oil Race Trucks and Late Models went to Robby Hornsby (car) and Lucas McNeil (truck).

— By virtue of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West sweep of the Port of Tucson Twin 100, Derek Kraus of Bill McAnally Racing has taken the points lead from teammate Hailie Deegan of Temecula. It was the third and fourth wins of the year for Kraus, who leads the East standings thanks to three wins. Kraus is 18 points ahead of Sunrise Ford/Bruncati Racing teammates Trevor Huddleston and Jagger Jones. Deegan is now fourth, five points back of Huddleston and Jones.

— Steve Gibbs will remember drag racers from San Gabriel and Irwindale drag strips Saturday night at Irwindale Speedway. Hall of Fame racers will be on hand as well as pre-1973 dragsters.

Lou Brewster is a nationally recognized motorsports journalist who has staffed NASCAR and NHRA events since 1969. Has also staffed high school football, in five different states, since 1967. Has won several national awards in writing and breaking news.

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